Jayden gritted his teeth and wrestled his smile into place as a collective giggle went up in the room. The last thing he needed was a date. Hell, he could get a piece of ass anytime, anywhere. It was just lately, since that night in Louisiana, he really hadn’t felt the urge to be with a female. Maybe he was too fucked up to be fixed.
Jayden gently pried Granny’s hands off his bicep. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your little … sex party.” Boy, did those words not want to come out.
“Now was that so hard so say?” Granny rolled her eyes and faced the room.
“You have no idea.” Jayden ran his hand across the back of his neck. Laugher erupted in the room and he flashed them all an apologetic smile. From the corner of his eye, someone caught his attention, causing him to do a double take.
It was her. Haley Guthrie. The girl he’d rescued in Louisiana. What the hell was she doing here?
The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. He would know her by her scent alone, even if he weren’t looking dead at her. His gaze lingered a few seconds too long before he forced himself to look away.
Granny must have followed his gaze, the eagle eye detective that she was, since the next words that came out of her mouth were directed at him.
“You remember Haley, don’t you?” Granny smiled as she glanced at her.
“Of course.” Jayden flashed Haley a polite smile, though his gut felt like ice. “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would be busy with your classes at LSU.”
Haley blushed as she squirmed in her seat on the floor.
“Oh, she transferred to University of Arkansas. She’s just here visiting for the weekend,” Granny offered before Haley could open her mouth.
Haley quickly averted her gaze. It was obvious that she was trying her hardest to look anywhere but at him. She didn’t want to be reminded of that night either.
Did he blame her? No. Did it still hurt him to know he’d failed her? Hell, yes.
“Well, I really have to get going. I’ve got a meeting in”—Jayden glanced at his Luminox watch—“about ten minutes.” He kissed Granny’s wrinkled cheek and gave the women a wave, his gaze effectively floating over Haley as he made his way to the kitchen. Since he was here he might as well grab a couple of cookies on his way out since he’d missed both breakfast and lunch.
Jayden snagged a handful of snicker doodles and had his hand on the knob of the backdoor by the time Granny caught up to him.
“Will you be back for dinner? I was going to make pot roast.” Her hopeful voice made him feel lower than dog shit.
Jayden plastered that fucking smile on his face and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not sure. It sounded like this meeting with Barrett may take a while. I’ll let you know.” He snatched opened the door and hurried out into the brilliant sunshine of the spring day. The breeze ruffled his hair as he hurried to his Harley Davidson Breakout. He took a bite of his cookie as he contemplated why Haley Guthrie was here. His stomach clenched and he quickly lost his appetite. He tossed the remaining cookies to the ground before straddling his motorcycle.
With Haley now living in Arkansas, Jayden was certain of one thing.
His hellish past he’d thought he left behind in Louisiana had just followed him straight to Arkansas.
#
“Haley, you lied.” Dana, her college roommate shot her a frown and playfully elbowed her in the side. Dana’s dark brown hair cascaded over her shoulders as her caramel brown eyes twinkled with amusement. “You said you didn’t know anyone in Arkansas.”
Haley swallowed and avoided her friend’s gaze. “I didn’t know Jayden lived in Arkansas. I only met him once and that was in Louisiana.” She shrugged and buried her nose in the catalogue of sex toys, hoping Dana would drop the subject of Jayden Parker. Jayden was one topic she didn’t want to discuss. Not with anyone. Judging by the glare he’d shot her, he didn’t want to be anywhere near her. She’d caused him enough pain for a lifetime.
She should have never come with Dana, but she needed help and was out of options. Coming to the sex party gave her an excuse to visit the compound where the Pack Master of Arkansas lived.
It had been over almost five months since her parents had forced her to transfer colleges. She had spent those five months going from classes to her room, essentially functioning on the basic level of eating, sleeping, and studying.
Haley Guthrie had gone from being the apple of her parents’ eyes to dog shit on the bottom of their expensive shoes in the matter of a single night. Her kidnapping had changed the course of her life forever.
It was startling to her that the people who raised her, who spoiled her, who bragged on her could change their affection at the drop of a dime. It was only after she’d been rescued and brought home that she discovered that her parents’ love was conditional and shallow. She expected them to rejoice in her safe return home, but what she got was disappointment that she had brought shame upon their family name.